The present invention relates generally to improvements in a long seam gluer, and specifically to the provision of a gluer wherein the glued seam is formed while the carton blank is moving in a direction such that the glued seam is normal to the direction of movement.
In one prior standard system utilized heretofore, the carton blank was fed flat in the direction of the longitudinal seam to be formed. Glue was applied to the glue flap in the longitudinal direction. Thereafter belts engaging the opposite sides of the carton blank folded the sides inwardly and into the usual overlapping condition with the glue lying therebetween, the belts then pressing the carton sides together until the glue had set. The cartons were formed into stacks and were fed to magazines in the packaging machinery which accepted the flattened tubular cartons and then expanded or opened the same prior to filling, see U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,288 granted Dec. 16, 1958 to Engleson and Sramek, U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,071 granted Feb. 25, 1964 to Vogel, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,976 granted May 18, 1976 to Vogel and Close.
In other standard practices, the carton was manufactured at the packaging machine using essentially the same technology as the independent carton manufacturing system set forth in the above. The flattened and seamed carton was sent to the standard carton expanding and erecting mechanism in the packaging machinery.